Carnival Ride
by LadyxMadonna
Summary: Hodgela. A series of 'missing scene' one-shots. How I think something should have gone/ended or totally absent scenes cooked up by my imagination. Chapters do not follow the series in order! See the spoilers at the beginning of each chapter for ep title!
1. The Date on a Swing

**Disclaimer: **So totally not mine…I just like to let them out to misbehave.

**Spoilers:**Potential spoilers thru_ The Girl with the Curl_

**A/N: **So I'm watching _Bones_ on DVD and am through two of six discs of the second season so needless to say I am way behind on this (Hodgela) and all other relationships in the show so bear with me…I'm also pretty sure this has been done to death but I just watched _The Girl with the Curl _last night (along with _The Girl in Suite 2103 _and _The Woman in the Sand_…me? procrastinate from school work? Never! P) and I decided that the ending to the swing date needed some tweaking. Consider it tweaked. I love reviews so please tell me what you think!!

* * *

Angela's breath caught in her throat as Hodgins stopped her swing, pushing her back and approaching dangerously close. She struggled to form a coherent thought, her chestnut eyes searching his face as he leaned in. She licked her lips unconsciously, leaving them slightly parted as Hodgins drew nearer. The anticipation was killing her and she finally gave in, leaning forward slightly to close the minute gap between them.

He was gentle, but Angela sensed a restrained passion bubbling just below the surface. They separated reluctantly though Jack didn't move away. His hands covered hers on the chains, his thumb absently stroking.

"Jack…" Angela started, not entirely sure what to say.

"Why don't we go get something to eat?" Jack offered, preferring not to discuss the intimate moment they had just shared. Angela nodded mutely, her voice temporarily lost as she tried to make sense of all the emotions crashing upon her. Jack stepped back, pulling the swing level and helping her off. Angela tried in vain to control the shiver that went up her spine as she felt Jack's hand on her lower back, guiding her gently to the car.

"Cold?" Jack asked, making things worse by dragging his fingertips up her back before wrapping his arm around her shoulders. For a split second Angela tensed, reminding herself never to take relationship advice from anyone at the lab ever again. With a soft sigh, she relaxed her shoulders, tilting her head towards Jack and deciding to let whatever was going to happen, happen.

* * *

Jack and Angela entered Wong Foo's, foregoing their normal large booth and choosing one that was smaller and slightly more intimate. Jack nodded at Sid who raised a hand to acknowledge their presence.

"The swings were fun Jack. Thank you," Angela smiled shyly at the man seated across from her. The giddiness that had washed over her when he wrapped the chains, sending her spinning, had brought her back to a simpler time. A time where she didn't have to worry about romantic relationships and the dangers of getting caught up in something she couldn't control.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Jack replied, his heart melting a little at the little-girl-like shyness she was exuding. He'd felt a swell of pride when her eyes had lit up at the sight of the swings and the carefree giggles she'd allowed out as she spun until she was nearly sick. Sid arrived at their table, placing a beer in front of Hodgins and a disturbingly neon green concoction in front of Angela.

"Sid…what is that?" Angela asked, looking suspiciously at her drink.

"How many times do you people need to be told to trust me?" Sid walked off in a huff to serve another table, leaving Angela to contemplate the drink. Angela lifted the martini glass, tilting her head as she looked through the concave glass at the cherry sitting at the bottom. Sniffing, she caught wind of apples and something sweet she couldn't quite place. Jack was watching the whole performance with amusement, falling for Angela a little further as her nose wrinkled in her intense scrutiny.

Seemingly satisfied that whatever it was, it wasn't going to kill her; Angela raised the glass to her lips and took the tiniest sip she could manage. Jack's grin broadened as her eyes lit up on tasting the drink.

"Oh my gosh!" Angela exclaimed. "Jack it tastes like a caramel apple! You _have_ to try it! It reminds me of carnivals from when I was a kid!" Angela pushed the glass across to him. She swiped a drip from the glass but before she could lick it off her finger, Jack caught her wrist and slid her finger into his mouth.

"Mmm…Really does taste like a caramel apple," Jack said, his gaze unwavering as he released her hand. A pink blush stained Angela's cheeks and she pulled the glass back, taking a larger drink to avoid having to speak.

"Cute," Sid said, placing various bowls and plates on the table in front of them.

"This is really good Sid!" Angela told him, trying to rid herself of the blush she felt. Sid just grunted and turned to greet incoming customers.

The meal passed in relative quiet, each enjoying the company of the other and quietly contemplating the rather romantic events of the previous hour. Once the dinner dishes had been cleared away, Sid brought dessert to the table. Another taste of childhood was served, this time in the form of a funnel cake with two forks. For a few moments they each pulled gingerly at the fried cake with their forks until Angela, with a mischievous glint in her eye, dropped her fork and pulled off a piece with her fingers. Hodgins smiled and followed suit,

"Now this is the way funnel cake was meant to be eaten!" Angela grinned at him, swirling a piece in the mound of ice cream before popping it in her mouth. Jack loaded a piece of the cake with ice cream and balanced a strawberry atop it before bringing it to Angela's lips. Deciding that he deserved pay back for his earlier finger sucking, Angela took the dessert into her mouth, along with Jack's thumb and forefinger. She sucked gently and swirled her tongue around the digits. Jack groaned softly, shifting in his seat as his jeans became uncomfortably tight.

"God Angela," he breathed, the funnel cake forgotten between them. Angela released his fingers just as Sid approached, removing the remnants of their dessert and depositing the bill in front of Jack. Hodgins pulled his wallet from his pocket and deposited a stack of cash on the table. Jack helped Angela into her coat and placed a hand on the small of her back as they left the restaurant. When they reached the car, Jack followed her to the passenger side, presumably to open the door. Instead, he pushed Angela back against the car, covering her mouth with his own and letting out a little of the passion she had sensed earlier.

The kiss took Angela by surprise but she recovered from the shock quickly and wound her fingers into Jack's hair, holding on for dear life. One of Jack's hands slid up her side, brushing her breast gently and causing her to pull out of the kiss with a gasp. Jack stared into her eyes, his fingers dancing daringly beneath her jacket.

"Jack we shouldn't…" Angela trailed off, unsure whether she was about to say 'shouldn't do this' or 'shouldn't do this here.' Jack took it to mean the former, stepping away from her and unlocking the car. Always the gentleman, he opened her door and made sure she was safely inside before shutting it and going to the driver's side.

The silence in the car was near unbearable and the tension was painfully thick. Jack's small car rolled up in front of Angela's building and he cut the engine. Angela released her seatbelt and looked over at the man in the driver's seat.

"Jack…"

"I'm sorry Angela. I'll see you at work tomorrow," Jack refused to meet her eyes, instead staring at a spot outside the window just above her right shoulder.

"Jack, would you like to come in for some coffee?" Angela asked, trying to read the myriad of emotions in Jack's steely blue eyes. For his part, Jack was attempting to come to terms with the mixed signals Angela was sending his way. Slipping the keys from the ignition, Jack nodded.

"Yeah that'd be good." As he followed Angela to her apartment, Hodgins decided that from that point forward, she was calling the shots. The signals Angela was sending him were too muddled even for his intelligent brain and so, to prevent further uncomfortable situations, he decided to hand Angela the reins for the rest of the night.

Hodgins made himself at home on her couch while Angela went into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Angela rummaged around in the fridge, trying to find a carton of cream. When she finally found one it was disturbingly past its best before date so she chucked it straight into the garbage. Removing the cream however, had brought into focus a perfect substitute. Pulling the dark glass bottle from the fridge she crossed her fingers and checked the date, finding it to be a few months into the future. Smiling she twisted off the cap and poured a generous amount into each mug before filling them with freshly brewed coffee. Angela carefully carried the full mugs into her living room, smiling when she saw Hodgins' feet propped up on her coffee table.

"Hey!" she tried to spook him, succeeding and causing Jack's feet to fly off the table. "The coffee table is for coffee Jack." Angela smiled at him and handed him a mug. Jack brought the coffee up to take a drink.

"You trying to get me drunk so you can seduce me, Montenegro?" Jack asked, detecting the smell of Irish crème liqueur. Angela laughed, a deep, throaty sound that Jack felt reverberate in his chest.

"If you're lucky," Angela replied. "What are you watching?"

"You've never seen _Mythbusters_? Come on it's awesome!" Angela sank down on the couch next to Hodgins, pulling her legs up and snuggling into his side. On the screen a man in a beret aimed a rifle at a gas tank. Hodgins looked down at Angela, infinitely confused by her mixed messages. Turning back to the screen Hodgins stretched an arm around her, enjoying the way she seemed to fit perfectly against him.

* * *

Angela woke slowly, languishing in the warmth of her bed. She turned to read her clock and smiled when she saw that there was still twenty minutes before she had to get up. After a moment she became aware of the fact that she was still wearing her clothes from her date with Jack. Angela sat up and, shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, tried to recall what had happened after she and Jack had returned to her apartment.

She knew they'd had coffee, Irish coffee because the cream was expired and she remembered watching a show on tv where an odd man in a beret had been firing a high powered rifle into a gas tank. After that her memory got hazy. Sighing, she slipped out of bed, realizing she must have fallen asleep on the couch during her date. Padding softly to the kitchen, Angela caught sight of a vase of flowers on her dining room table and changed her route to investigate. The arrangement was bold and beautiful, a little flashy but not too over the top, she was impressed with Jack's taste. Angela carefully pulled an envelope out from between a sunflower and a pink daisy. Her name was scrawled on the front in Hodgins' distinct script. She felt a flutter of excitement and anticipation in her stomach as she opened the letter.

_Angela,_

_Either the coffee was decaf or I'm more boring than I thought :o)…Your jewellery is on your dresser and your key should be on the floor near the front door (I locked up and slid it back under when I left). I hope you enjoyed yourself last night. You're an incredible woman and it was an honour to spend time with you, hope we can do it again sometime. See you at work._

_Jack

* * *

_

**A/N: **So this totally didn't go where I was planning…I hope you enjoy it anyways. I'm kind of 'meh' on the note; it's not doing it for me, don't know why. This is going to be a series of 'missing scene' oneshots though when the next one will be ready is impossible to tell. There will be at the very least: an _Aliens in a Spaceship _post-ep scene as well as a _Headless Witch in the Woods _post-ep scene. I'm now up to _The Girl in the Gator_ so any future episodes that inspire me to write a scene will end up on here too…For anyone who was reading "The Kid in the Catacombs" I think something ran over that plot-bunny so we're gonna have to wait and see if something inspires me to finish that one up. Okay I'm done now…Congratulations if you read all this! (I wouldn't have P) Please review!!!


	2. The Man in a Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **All hail Fox, Hart Hanson, Kathy Reichs and anyone else with a finger in the pot that is _Bones_…the characters are not mine in the least so nobody sue me.

**Spoilers: **Anything through _Aliens in a Spaceship_ as this is a post-ep scene to that episode.

**A/N: **Again with the procrastination…I should definitely be studying "History of Anthropological Theory: From Antiquity to Today" right now (and yes that is as thrilling as it sounds) but hey, what's a girl to do? I can't help myself…Hodgins and Angela are so much more fun! Anyways please read and review!

* * *

Angela's heart broke a little as she watched Jack fight back tears. She was slightly shocked when the words left her mouth, inviting him into her bed. When she'd told him they should remain friends it was because she could see herself falling for Jack and she was afraid of the abrupt and painful ending that most falls have. But seeing him like this, so broken and vulnerable, fixing that took precedence over her insecurities. She wanted nothing more than to pull him to her and hold him until he wasn't afraid anymore. 

Since they were still in the lab Angela settled for caressing Jack's cheek and giving him a small, encouraging smile. Jack pushed his face into her soft palm and, for the first time since he'd been pulled out of that car, he felt safe.

"Come on Hodgins. I've had enough of this place for one day," Angela rose from her perch on the desk and extended her hand to Jack. Shutting down his computer for the night, Hodgins rose, taking Angela's proffered hand and limping off of the platform, leaning on a crutch. Seeing Jack, following her like a small, whipped puppy very nearly caused Angela to burst into tears. She took a deep, steadying breath and tried to seem okay when she spoke to him.

"Do we need to stop anywhere and get you anything?"

"No, I usually sleep naked," Hodgins said. The retort was meant to be witty, something to make Angela smile, but the tremulous quality of his voice only made her heart hurt a little more.

When they reached the parking garage Jack froze, a wave of fear washing over him. Angela kept walking, only noticing that he was no longer moving when she felt the tug of his hand in hers.

"Jack?" she asked quietly, turning to face him.

"I…What if…" Hodgins couldn't articulate the fear he felt but Angela seemed to understand. She gave into her earlier urge to gather him into her arms, feeling him tremble as she whispered into his ear.

"It's okay Jack. I'm here. There's nothing to be afraid of," Angela told him. Slowly, the trembling subsided and Jack took a few deep breaths, leaving his face buried in Angela's hair. A few moments later, Jack pulled away, taking Angela's hand back in his.

"Okay. Let's go home," Angela told him, leading him to her car.

* * *

Once on the road Jack rolled down the window, needing to feel the fresh air. The night had cooled considerably and Angela shivered but didn't ask him to close it. The drive was short and she knew that she couldn't even begin to imagine how claustrophobic he felt, back in a car not unlike the one that had nearly become his grave. Angela leaned to the radio, clicking it on and letting the relaxing, bluesy strains of Colbie Caillat's _The Little Things_ fill the car. She began to sing unconsciously and Jack turned his gaze from the rapidly passing scenery to the woman beside him. 

"You have a beautiful voice Angela," Jack told her. Angela startled, taking her eyes from the road momentarily to look at him.

"Oh God, was I singing?" Angela asked, embarrassed. Jack smiled at her and nodded. He noticed that she was only driving with her left hand, her right sitting in her lap. Hodgins reached over and took her hand in his. Angela looked down at their joined hands but didn't comment, putting her focus back to driving. As they pulled into the parking garage at Angela's apartment complex, Jack's hand tightened in hers. Angela squeezed his hand reassuringly before releasing it to shift the car into park and to turn off the ignition. Jack swallowed hard and opened his door before rolling up his window. By the time Jack had closed the door Angela was at his side, taking his hand back in hers and leading him to the elevator.

"How's your leg?" Angela asked. Hodgins was leaning heavily on one crutch while Angela carried the other so that they could hold hands.

"Okay," he lied, wincing as he shifted his weight.

"Jack…" Angela could tell he was lying, the pain was etched on his face for anyone to read.

"It's okay. I'll take some painkillers when we get inside," he told her. The elevator arrived and they got in, Angela punching the button for her floor and Jack leaning on the wall to take some of the weight off of his bad leg. When the elevator arrived at Angela's floor, Jack pushed himself off the wall, the opportunity to sit luring him to push on the last few feet to Angela's apartment. Seeing the amount of pain he was in Angela handed him the other crutch, settling for resting her hand on his shoulder while they struggled down the hall to her door. As swiftly as she could, Angela opened the door, stepping in to turn on the lights. Jack followed, heading directly for her couch.

"I'm starving," Angela proclaimed as Hodgins settled in on the couch. She walked into her kitchen and pulled open a drawer that was stuffed with take-out flyers. Returning to the living room she stood in front of the couch and gave Jack his options, "Chinese, pizza or Thai?"

"Chinese, if that's okay with you," Jack told her. Angela nodded and returned to the kitchen to order. When she was finished she walked back to Jack who had turned on the television in her absence. Angela lifted a pillow from the couch and placed it on the table in front of Hodgins who looked at her inquisitively.

"I don't know…aren't you supposed to elevate injuries or something?"

"Couldn't hurt I suppose," Jack smiled and lifted his injured leg onto the pillow, wincing with the effort.

"Oh! Do you want water to take your pills?" Angela was feeling inexplicably flustered trying to attend to Jack.

"It's okay, I have to take them with food. How long will it be?"

"They said twenty minutes. What are we watching?" Angela asked, sitting down next to Jack, leaving a small amount of space between them. Having him here, in her apartment and knowing that later he would be sharing her bed was making Angela tense and nervous. Jack turned off the t.v. when he noticed how uncomfortable Angela seemed.

"Look Ange, if you're not okay with me being here I can go," Hodgins tried to hide the disappointment he felt.

"No!" Angela blurted out, throwing her arms around his neck. "Please don't. I'm sorry I'm just being a girl." Jack was surprised by the sudden outburst of emotion but recovered quickly enough to be able to wrap his arms around her before she could pull away.

"Okay I'll stay," Jack reassured her.

A small sob escaped Angela and she cursed herself for not being able to hold it together. Jack was the one who had been buried alive, not her and yet here she was crying. She pressed her face into his neck, inhaling the scent of him and hanging on to him as though her life depended on it.

"Ange? What's wrong?" Jack wasn't sure what to make of the tears he felt wetting the collar of his shirt.

"That clock. The whole time you were gone. It was just sitting there, counting down and taunting me. And then it got to…it got to zero and I thought you were gone!" Angela told him. "I was so scared Jack. I couldn't lose you and Brennan. I just couldn't! I couldn't have dealt with it."

"It's okay Ange. You didn't lose me. I'm right here," Jack soothed. After a few more moments Angela regained her composure and pulled away from Hodgins.

"I'm sorry Jack. This isn't about me." Jack reached out and carefully wiped away the remaining tears on her cheeks.

"It's as much about you as it is me. I may have been the one down there but I would have gotten the easy way out. You would have had to deal with losing me and your best friend," Angela nodded; glad he didn't see her as selfish. The delivery man chose to interrupt their tender moment with a sharp rap on her door. Angela rose from the couch with one last affectionate look at Jack, and headed to the door. Once she'd settled up with the delivery man she dropped the bag of food on the table and went to the kitchen for plates and drinks.

When she went back into the living room, Hodgins had taken the pillow and his foot off of the table and was arranging the various containers on the surface.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be taking care of you?" Angela asked. Jack smiled at her,

"Well I'm not a complete invalid," he told her, "don't say it!" Angela laughed,

"What? I wasn't going to say anything!" She handed him a plate and a bottle of water and sat down on the couch beside him. They were quiet as they loaded their plates with food, both contemplating the events of the last days until Hodgins decided they'd done enough brooding.

"Got any good movies?" he asked. Angela set her plate on the coffee table and knelt in front of her tv. After she pulled open the glass doors to the cabinet below, she dropped down on all fours to read off some titles. Being a man who appreciated a fine female form, Jack found himself transfixed and distracted by a very nice ass.

"RENT, Dirty Dancing, Practical Magic, Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, Miss Congeniality, Legally Blonde, Moulin Rouge!, A League of Their Own, Virgin Suicides, The Da Vinci Code…" Snapping out of his trance Jack agreed to the last title she'd read.

"I haven't seen it yet," he told her.

"Really? A conspiracy buff like you? That's surprising," Angela said as she loaded the disc into the DVD player. "Jack you do know that I can see you staring at my ass, right?"

"What? I…uh…you….um…" Jack tried to find something to say. Angela laughed at his flustered stuttering as he attempted to explain himself. She gestured to the reflection in the glass door.

"Busted," Hodgins said, averting his eyes from her in embarrassment. Angela returned to the couch as the movie started to play and picked up her plate.

"I've got no problem with being appreciated," she said smiling, and started to eat her dinner.

* * *

Jack had taken a couple of painkillers during the movie and by the time it was over they'd begun to kick in, making him a little loopy and a lot tired. 

"Okay," Angela said, rising from the couch, "time for bed."

Jack nodded and attempted to stand. Two hours on the couch had given his leg time to stiffen, making standing very difficult. He looked helplessly at Angela who reached out to him, taking both of his hands and heaving with all her might to give Jack enough momentum to get off of the couch. Angela handed him his crutches and began to clean off the table,

"You go get ready for bed. There's a spare toothbrush under the sink. I'm just going to throw this out and I'll be there."

Jack limped to the bathroom, finding the toothbrush and getting ready for bed as quickly as possible. Entering Angela's room was a little intimidating at first. This was her inner sanctum. Her place of refuge and she'd opened it to him. Pain and exhaustion won out over any sense of awe at the idea of sleeping in Angela's bed, let alone with Angela, and he took off his sweatshirt and pants, leaving him in boxers and a t-shirt.

When Angela entered the room a few minutes later she found Jack sitting on the side of her still made bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked, noticing how glazed Jack's eyes were from the pain, the drugs and exhaustion.

"Which side is yours?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter," Angela couldn't believe he'd waited to ask her that. "Just get in and go to sleep. I'm just going to change and I'll be back in."

When she returned to the room Jack was lying on his back with his eyes closed, presumably sleeping. Angela moved as quietly as she could, avoiding the floorboards she knew creaked, and lifting the blankets carefully to get into bed. Once settled she reached over and extinguished the lamp, allowing the room to settle into darkness. Tentatively she moved closer to Jack, unsure exactly how close she should be. Angela gasped when she felt Jack's arms close around her, pulling her body flush against his.

"Goodnight Jack," she whispered, laying her head on his chest.

"G'night," Jack mumbled, using his last remaining strength to place a kiss on the top of Angela's head before succumbing to sleep.

* * *

_The flashlight battery was dead, leaving the interior of the car in pitch blackness. His breathing was laboured and he could feel himself getting dizzy and starting to fade into unconsciousness. He grasped his boss' hand and, using the strength he had left, said goodbye. _

"_It's been an honour, Dr. Brennan," he wheezed._

"_Hodgins! Booth will find us you just have to hang on!" Brennan pleaded with him._

"_It's over…"_

Hodgins jerked awake, his breathing shallow and rapid. Angela was leaning over him, stroking his cheek and whispering.

"It's okay Jack. It was just a nightmare. You're safe," she told him.

"I was there…You guys didn't find us…" Hodgins choked out, pulling Angela down to him; needing to feel her, to smell her to know he was safe.

"Shhh," she soothed, "We found you Jack."

They lay awake and entwined for nearly an hour, each simply taking comfort in the nearness of the other. It would take weeks for the nightmares to stop and every night Angela was there to soothe away the fears. And then one day they just stopped coming. For days Jack slept soundly, with no hint of a nightmare and yet each night he still shared a bed with Angela. They were long past the point of friendship and yet still not in a relationship. What they had was indefinable and, for the moment, they were content.

* * *

**A/N2: **I am so going to fail my test on Wednesday…okay no more updates until I write my history of anthro theory test, then I'll do _Headless Witch in the Woods_ and any others that inspire me! Press the little blue-ish purpley button! You know you want to! 

**PS: **Oh and yes I totally stole the title for this story from Carrie Underwood's new cd (no particular reason other than I love Carrie Underwood and Angela says "carnival" in the first one shot). Colbie Caillat's _The Little Things _is a very cute and shippy song and I'm currently loving her album so that's why it got a mention.


	3. The Woman with a Dilemma

**Disclaimer: **Yes after writing two chapters of this story Hart Hanson emailed me the rights to_ Bones_ 'cause he likes my work so much…

**Spoilers: **_The Boy in the Shroud_ (going backwards a bit)

**A/N: **Okay so the theory test went alright (if anyone cares) and so to unwind tonight (read: procrastinate from reading comparative anatomy) I'm going to write another chapter! I'm doing this scene 'cause I can't seem to get the one for _Headless Witch in the Woods_ to work right now….gotta watch it again I guess. But for now here is a post-ep for the_ Boy in the Shroud_ following "the rose scene" where Jack lays the Romeo and Juliet rose on Angela's desk in the final montage. Thanks to ForRomance for reminding me of the scene!!

* * *

It wasn't often that Jack used his family's name and reputation to get him the things he wanted but on rare and important occasions he was willing to drop the Hodgins name to get what he needed. A few words with the director of the botanical gardens, along with the promise of a substantial donation from the Cantilever group had won him a perfect specimen of the _Rosa alba_, the rose rumoured to have been the one in _Romeo and Juliet._ Getting the rose had been the easy part; actually giving it to Angela was what was giving him issues. For fifteen minutes he stood outside Angela's office, watching as she squinted at the computer screen and trying to build up the courage to cross the threshold into her domain.

There had been mutual flirting between them but Angela was a naturally flirty person and so Jack was nervous. Jack looked down at the rose he held delicately between his fingers. A sigh from within the office caught his attention and he looked up to see Angela leaning her head in her hands. It had been a long day for all of them but Jack knew that these cases, the death, always hit Angela harder. It was that realization that pushed Jack through the door and over to the desk. He was quiet, making no noise as he approached; not wanting to startle Angela, only afraid of being required to make conversation.

Jack had never had issues articulating feelings before but there was something about how he felt about Angela that made him cautious. He didn't want to push too far, too fast and so he'd contented himself with the casual flirting. Until today. He hesitated for a moment before placing the rose on Angela's desk, next to her arm.

The motion didn't startle Angela, she'd felt Jack's presence as soon as he'd entered though she hadn't acknowledged him, preferring to see what he was intending on doing. The sight of the delicate white rose made her heart skip a beat; she knew immediately that it was the Romeo and Juliet rose. Her fingers stayed frozen on the keyboard as she forced her eyes up from the rose to Jack. Her mouth fell open to speak but she wasn't sure what to say and before she could formulate a thought Jack had turned to leave the office. With a meaningful look over his shoulder, Jack made an unobtrusive exit.

* * *

A few moments after Jack left Angela broke out of her paralysis and reached for the rose, bringing the perfect blossom up to her face to inhale the beautiful scent. For a time her mind was focused only on the flower and what Jack had possibly meant by giving it to her. Angela quickly realized that she wasn't going to get any more work done that night and so she shut down her computer and turned off the Angelator. Taking the rose, she moved to the couch and laid down, her legs dangling over one side. She twirled the rose slowly in her fingers, contemplating its meaning as well as the feelings it obviously represented.

Angela was still in that position when Temperance Brennan entered her office forty-five minutes later.

"Ange? What are you still doing here?" Brennan asked, knowing that her best friend normally fled the building as soon as a case ended, seeking reprieve from the death they faced daily. Brennan noticed the flower clasped in Angela's fingers, "Is that an English Alba rose?" Angela nodded, still staring at the flower. "Where did you get it?"

"Hodgins…" Angela confessed, sitting up and motioning for Brennan to sit beside her. "He just put it on my desk and left. Didn't say a word."

"Why would he do that?" Brennan asked.

"You know I've been lying here for nearly an hour trying to answer that and I keep coming up with the same answer. Jack Hodgins has a crush on me." Vocalizing the thought made it more real and, as such, more scary to Angela. Jack was a great guy, someone she would be lucky to spend time with and yet she couldn't shake the hesitation she felt. Brennan smiled at her friend,

"What are you going to do about it?" she asked. Angela turned and gave Brennan a wan smile,

"I have no idea."

* * *

**A/N: **This was a tough one…there wasn't a lot for me to work with without moving forward into other episodes (because it's implied that nothing comes of the rose until Jack asks Angela out). So that's the reason this chapter is short and drabble-y...Not sure how much I really like this but it's done and I can't think of anything to change to make myself like it more.

(That's right, my author note has paragraphs) I have the season finale for season 2 to watch and then I'm going to go back and watch _The Headless Witch in the Woods _while I try and write the missing scene. On that note I was also inspired by _The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House _so there is also a post-ep for that one coming along at some point. And I might revisit _Aliens in a Spaceship_ for the "in-between" scene as suggested by Megean. Okay I'm done babbling now. Please read and review!


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